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Cheese & Mustard Chicken Wrapped in Bacon

Chef’s Notes: This isn’t even really a recipe. I considered what was in the kitchen and what sounded good for dinner and concocted this. Pretty tasty.

Pound a boneless chicken breast thin. Spread with Dijon mustard and sprinkle dill over the mustard. Wrap chicken breast around a 1-ounce stick of sharp Cheddar cheese. Wrap 1 or 2 slices of (maple or plain) bacon around the chicken breast. Sprinkle with black pepper. Bake 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

Nutty Mustard Chicken Thighs

Chef’s Notes: There are two problems when seasoning chicken. One, you can put the seasoning on the skin, but the flavoring never penetrates the chicken. Or two, you remove the skin and season the meat, but then you often have dry chicken. To solve these problems, in this recipe, the seasoning is placed between the meat and the skin, allowing the flavors to come in direct contact with the chicken while keeping the skin intact to moisten the meat.

Nutty Mustard Chicken Thighs
Serves 4

8 bone-in chicken thighs
1 tsp. tarragon
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 T. finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375. On each chicken thigh, peel the skin back from the meat. Sprinkle the tarragon evenly onto each thigh. Combine the mustard, syrup and vinegar; spoon evenly onto each thigh. Sprinkle the pecans over the mustard mixture. Pull the skin back over the thigh. Place on baking sheet and cook 30 minutes.

Nutella-Crescent Roll Treats

Chef’s Notes: I’ve always wanted to try Nutella (chocolate & hazelnut…yum). So I bought a jar and decided to use some of it to make a cookie-type-thingy. I found several recipes using crescent rolls to create something like a cookie. This is my variation on those recipes.

Nutella-Crescent Roll Treats
Makes 32

1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls
About 1/4 jar Nutella
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Press together the crescent rolls triangles to create 4 rectangles. Cut each rectangle into 4 equal-size piece. Spread a small amount of Nutella on each rectangle. Fold each rectangle over lengthwise (log shaped) and press edges and ends to seal. Place on baking sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly (warmish but not hot). Cut each log in half and roll in powdered sugar.

Simple Spicy Ranch Chip Dip

Chef’s Notes: I really dislike French Onion Chip Dip, so I decided to concoct a different chip dip for a party I hosted recently. It was well liked by all…and very simple to make.

Simple Spicy Ranch Chip Dip

8 oz. sour cream
1/2 C. spicy ranch salad dressing
1 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. Mrs. Dash extra spicy seasoning blend
1 tsp. hot sauce

Blend all ingredients. Refrigerate for several hours. Serve with potato chips.